getting bugged

10 things that bug the heck out of me

In no particular order.
     People who drive without their lights on when it is raining, foggy, or snowy.
     People who litter, especially the ones who dump their fast food garbage on the road.
     Tailgaters.
     People who wait for their purchase to be rung up and then start looking for money or a credit card.  Have it out early!
     Coupons.
     Politicians who lie.
     Men who don't wash their hands after using a public bathroom.  That is just gross, especially when you come out of a stall!
     Plastic grocery bags.
     People who misuse handicapped parking privileges.
     Loud vehicles, whether because of the engine or the music, just keep it down!
Now I feel better.
How about you??

stats day

When I have nothing to say, I use numbers

     So far, over 132,000 page visits have been recorded on this blog.
     Recently, there have been people in Latvia and Vietnam reading this.... and I know who they are!  Can't hide from me!
     It's humbling that so many people have read this journey. 
     If you have been reading a while, you know a lot about me.  Maybe you didn't want to know it, but now you do.
     Like my fear of heights, doctors, shots, bridges collapsing, bears, alligators, and the occasional werewolf.
     Some of you have recently offered hearing aid advice.  And I appreciate that.       At least, I think you were offering hearing aid advice because for some reason you started speaking very softly.
     I just appreciate the fact you have let me into your lives. 
     You know I am a Cub fan, but not a Bud man. You know I love the Beatles and oldies.  The other day I was listening to WRHL 1060, which plays oldies.  They do  retro segments with Dick Clark and Casey Kassum.  That may not be spelled right.  Anyway, Casey was doing the countdown for some time period in the 70s and I only recognized one song in the hour I was listening.  One song.  That was by Nielsen.  The other music was unknown to me.
     So now you know something else.  I must have stopped listening to the radio in the early 70s. At least AM, except when the Cubs were playing.
     And after listening to Casey the other day, I realized why.  The music was terrible.
     But that is beside the point.
     Thank you for reading and I hope we have many more days together.
     Peace and love to all.

all in a day's work

I took a day off today

     No yard work, just a little house picking up and a couple of loads of laundry.
     I did cook some salmon on the grill and sat outside enjoying a Rosé.  (By the way, after several years I finally looked to see how to make a diacritical mark.   Now I know.  Impressed??)
     I have to sit outside because someone can't stand the smell of fish.... so I cook it and eat it outside.
     It's not bad in the summer, but it is brutal in January.
     Anyway, I did a couple of puzzles in my crossword puzzle book.  When I did the Sunday Tribune puzzle, I would spend a couple of days working out the answers.
     These puzzles take about 15 minutes.
     I notice some words get used often:  ante, alee, ate, for example.
     But apykootz never gets used, despite the fact I have used it numerous times to complete a puzzle.  Funny, but apykootz is not in any dictionaries, so it must be a relatively new word.
     And I watched the Cubs beat the Cards. 
     Which meant it was a pretty good day.
    I hope yours was too, even if you are St. Louis fans.

Not sitting day

We had a busy day today

     We visited a fireman, went to the market, had a great grilled cheese, and did a lot of chores.
     Jackie wanted to say congratulations to our friend Curt, who just became a fireman.  So we stopped at the fire station to say hello.
     Then we went to the market and had a great time visiting people.  I bought grilled cheese sandwiches from the bread lady and we sat in front of Cypress House and visited with a lot of people as we ate.
     I even got a new car!  Well, technically it is not mine yet, but I bought a raffle ticket to support the band trip to Washington DC.  I don't think Jackie was happy with me, but I had the checkbook and she didn't.  The drawing is at halftime of the homecoming game...so I will have to wait.
     This is the season for buying things.  We have bought the dining cards to support Hub football, raffle tickets for the Heritage Festival drawing, popcorn for the cheer team.  I will buy some tickets for Creston and I have to make a drive down to Amboy to by tickets for the drawing down there.
     In the meantime, it is almost Rotary calendar time and there is always a need for new members for the museum..... so if you can, toss a little support that way too.
     I mowed, pulled peas from the garden, weeded my slope area, and planted carrots which I hope grow.  It was a busy day.
     I even got my telescope out to look at Mars tonight.  And the moon. 
     I think I'll take a little nip out on the patio and sit for a while.  It is a beautiful summer night.

clinty estwood?

I am thinking spaghetti westerns today.....

Especially "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly."

The Good....zoo day
The Bad...... tollway construction
The Ugly....  driving habits of idiots

The Good.....pizza night
The Bad......  ate too much
The Ugly.....  my belly

The Good..... Cub comeback win Thursday
The Bad......   Cub loss today
The Ugly....    Chatwood pitching

The Good.....  lunar eclipse
The Bad......    not visible here
The Ugly .....   my photos of any full moon

The Good.....   I have a new crossword puzzle book
The Bad......     Puzzles are fairly easy
The Ugly.....     Longest answer after 20 puzzles is only six letters

The Good.....    The EPA
The Bad......      Tight restrictions are being loosened
The Ugly.....      Our world if polluters are allowed to pollute

The Good.....     Night
The Bad......       Dreams
The Ugly.....       My hair in the morning.

what???

I had a hearing exam today

     And guess what?  I am hard of hearing.
     The worst tones are high, soft ones.....like from females or children.
     Which explains why I have a hard time understanding children and my wife, although she talks to me too much from different rooms.
     Now I have a decision.  Do I get hearing aids?  Do I get a behind the ear one or a pop in your ear one?  What kind of technology do I want?
     I know people who have hearing aids.  They all say the same thing:  Crowd noises get amplified, so it doesn't help.
     The audiologist said not getting them could result in further loss of hearing.    Getting them could preserve what I have and might even reduce the tinnitus, or ringing in my ears, that sometimes drives me crazy.  Like right now.
     Insurance doesn't cover the cost.  And the cost could be anywhere from $1,000 on up for each ear. 
     Here's the rub. 
     Hearing aids are just another sign that I am getting old.  I don't want to get old. I don't want to be at a point in life where I can't drive, or ride a bike, or travel, or read a paper, or go to a Cub game.  I don't want to be old.
     And while I don't want to be, I am getting there.
     But I am getting tired of saying what.

it's a crazy world

I spend too much time on line

     I get caught up in the weirdness of it all, and time just flies.
     For example:  I watched a video of a gator or croc jumping into a pool where people were swimming.  The gator attacked a woman while the guy she was with jumped out and ran.
     She wasn't severely injured, but I know they would have had to super chlorinate the water after that.
     A digression.  Several years ago three of us rode the New Glarus bike path.  It was hot.  Really hot.  At the end of the day, we went into a local municipal pool to swim and cool down.  As two of us were finishing up in the shower, the third guy came back from the pool and simply said.  "Let's go.  We are not swimming here."
     As we walked away we asked why.  He said, "Whenever they yell 'get the net' and you see a turd floating in the water, leave."  So we did.
     End of digression.
     I saw a video of a woman who aggressively challenged an aggressive driver, only to have that guy ram her car.  Her response?  With an 8 year old boy in the front seat next to her, she pulled out a gun and aimed it at the other driver!    Seriously!
     And the 10 year old boy who drove his parents' Lexus to the beach with his 7 year old brother in the front seat.
     Or the woman arrested at the airport on her way to her wedding for credit card fraud and identity theft.
     How about the woman who flipped off a driver only to have him follow her and when who went into a store took a grocery cart and ran it along side her car several times.  Carts leave lots of scratches.
     Then there was the story about the serial killer in England who electrocuted himself while committing a sex act in his cell.  The words electric cord, nipples and penis all came into play.
     There is just a lot of weird crap happening all over the world.
     And a lot of nutty people are involved.
     Maybe I'll just stay in the house the rest of my life.  Or maybe I'll just stick to solitaire.

trivia night

My life is getting boring

     Same old, same old.
     In a way, I guess that is good.  But it does make me feel like I am in a rut.
     Picked beans, peas.  Pulled some weeds.  Found out  that my volunteer cucumbers are producing a fruit that is large, round and looks like a watermelon.  But still no cucumbers.
     Rode the bike path.  Got lots of bugs in my hair and face. 
     I think I have have a black widow spider in one of my windows.  It is between the screen and the glass.  It's black, with a white spot on its back.  And it is about the size of a dime.
     I have a g mail account but never check it.  There were a couple of messages from an old friend.  And I mean old.... I think he is 95.  This is the account I use at the end of my newspaper column.  Sometimes people respond.  I like that.
     The Cubs are starting to get me angry.  Score some runs!!!  Crying out loud.
     It's a beautiful night outside.  I wish there were less lights around, hard to look at the sky with all the brightness.  And it is almost cool enough for a campfire.
     Funny, in 60 days we'll be missing the heat.  Maybe.
     Think I'll go and stand outside for a while. 
     Good night.  Sleep tight.  Don't let the vampires bite.

I'm a husker

We put up corn today

     We did on the ear and off the ear.  I like corn on the cob, so we froze about a dozen ears whole.
     Jackie likes corn off the cob in the middle of winter.  So we boiled and .... what is the word?  Decobbed?   Stripped?  Unkerneled?  (and why are kernel and colonel pronounced the same.  Something is wrong with English when you say an r sound and there is no r in the word.)
     Anyway, I bought a little gizmo last year that you put on the end of the corn and twist back and forth.  It does a great job of stripping the golden nuggets off the cob.I bet I have eaten a dozen ears in the past week.  Sweet corn, freshly picked, is a treat, one we only get once a year.
     Now for the peaches.....Dan and Linda, do you have my order??
     And cherries.... still looking for Michigan or Wisconsin cherries.
     Ahh...the tastes of summer.
     Gotta love it.

oops! sorry

Always double check phone numbers

     People were coming from New York state.  They were arriving in downtown Chicago Wednesday, going to tour Wrigley and catch the night game Thursday, and meet me at the game Friday.  Then Saturday they were coming to our house and spending a couple of nights.  We were all going to have a cook out and I bought food for about 13 people.  Not the point.
     Wednesday he became ill.  Felt funny in his chest.  Spent the next two nights in a hospital downtown and upon discharge they decided to return home in New York.
     His wife called and left her phone number Thursday.  I wrote it down and entered it in my phone.
     I texted her Thursday to see how he was.  I texted her to see if she needed anything.  I texted her to see if they had any test results back.  I texted her and told her to call me on my cell phone because we would not be home Thursday night.
     I texted her again Friday morning before leaving for the Cub game.
     No response.
     Jackie called me on the train and said I transposed two numbers!
     She never got any of my texts!
     Saturday night at 11 my phone dings.
     I got a text that simply said:  Who this?
     I told them I was sorry that I had texted the wrong number.....multiple times.
     I just hope the person wasn't a bad guy or a terrorist....hate to think my number will be found on his/her phone and that my messages were some sort of code.
     Finally talked to my nonguest and he was doing well...no further issues.  And he is planning a trip to a Cub game again next year.
     Incidentally, the Cubs refunded him his tour money and the cost of the tickets for both games.
      Even  though tickets and tours are nonrefundable, they will make an exception for a medical emergency.
     Now I have to add double check all numbers before dialing them to my list of things to do.
     Life can be a never ending struggle.

all aboaooaarrrrd!!!

I have a not so secret secret

     Most of you know I sometimes panic.
     There is something about catching a plane or a train that puts me in a don't think mode.  I panic, do something rash, and then have to suffer a consequence.
     One time I was going home from Chicago.  I knew I was close to catching a train to Elburn, so I went as fast as I could.  As I entered the station I scanned the board for Elburn and saw it was on track 1.  Or at least I saw E on track one.
     I raced for it and was ready to board when I asked if the train went to Elburn.....I always like to double check when I am in a hurry.
     But no, it only went to Elmhurst.  The Elburn train was three tracks over and by the time I got there, it was moving, meaning I had an hour wait.
     When I got to the station after the game Friday, I knew I had plenty of time.  I scanned the board and saw the train for Elburn left at 6:10 from track two.  It was about 5:35 and I was in no hurry.
     I strolled upstairs and decided to check out the bigger board and .....
It showed a train for Elburn boarding on Track 1 with a departure time of 5:42.
     So I did what I normally do.....panicked!  I ran toward the track.  It was almost time.
     I ran past a conductor who called me three times.
     I got to the train and boarded, but thought it was funny it was not full.
    I looked around and found the only man who was not plugged into a laptop or telephone and asked him if this train went to Elburn.
     No, he said.  ELMHURST!
     I got off the train and was walking back when the same conductor called me again and asked where I was running to.  I told him I wanted to catch the train to Elburn but I misread Elmhurst.  I said I thought it said gate one.
     He said, "We call them tracks here.  And if you would have bothered to stop and tell me that I would have told you that the Elburn 5:42 is on Track 4."
     It was exactly 5:42.
     I raced over just as that conductor was signalling to close the doors.  They waited for me and three other people, and we left the station just a minute or two late.
     Deja vu....all over again.
     I always say I won't panic, and then I do.
     I also say I will always make sure to read the entire word, not just the first letter, because some day I'll be in Elmhurst wondering when the next train west will be stopping.
     You'd think at my age I would have learned.
     Four or five  days ago I put on my shorts and went out to water the plants.      I donned my new shorts that I bought by Julia, because I didn't pack shorts for my trip.
    Since I was just getting a hose, and it was early, I didn't bother to cinch the belt.
     I went into the garage, picked up a roll of soaker hose, walked into the driveway and felt my shorts drop down to my ankles.
     Luckily, no neighbors were out to witness me in my boxers with the blue stripes.
     That would have been embarrassing.
     I don't seem to learn about those things either.

bad day at black rock

I watched the Cubs get thumped today

     I left after the top half of the eighth inning. 
     Big crowd.  The train was crowded coming in.  The El was crowded going to the park.
     Too crowded.
     Ever see those films of the Japanese subways where they literally push people into the cars?  Well, it wasn't as bad as that.
     But we were pretty packed in.
     Someplace before Fullerton, (which is the third stop before Wrigley, maybe 10-15 minutes from the park) a voice came out of the packed crowd.
     "Stop leaning on me!' someone yelled.
     I am not sure what precipitated this outburst, but the lady who yelled it then said she was talking to that woman, who was described as a knowledge challenged female dog.  Loudly.  And often.
     Then she became the female dog who was also engaged in intercourse with some one's mother.  Several times.  Loudly.
     I honestly only heard one voice yell, "Shut the intercourse up."  Which seemed to set the verbally challenged woman off.  Little did we know she had actually been tame to that point.
     She then proceeded to discuss the intercoursers with some one's mother people in the car who were Cub fans, and therefore a large group of something our current president once said he grabs women by, or cats, you decide.  Not only that, we were having intercourse with some one's mother cats devoid of any manhood.  Which was why she preferred the South Side fans.
     It got worse.
     This lady, who looked about 5 foot tall and about 50 years old, then proceeded to challenge anyone to a fight, saying she would take down any of those intercoursers who have intercourse with some one's mother and claw out their intercourse loving intercourse with some one's mother's eyes out, all you female dogs.
     I am being polite.  She was not.
     When the group got silent and backed away a little, she proceeded to tell everyone who thought they were (adjective/verb) tough that she spent 12 years in the big house and could take any of these female dogs and intercourser who has intercourse with some one's mother out.
     Then she threatened to sic the dogs on them when they were pummelled to the ground.
     We were now approaching Belmont and I seriously considered getting off the El and walking.  My flight or fight gene had definitely kicked in.
     But we stayed on.
     At some point, I am not sure when, she said the following:
     Maybe I'll just take out my lighter fluid and burn you all, you intercoursers who are having intercourse with a mother female dogs.
     That's when I started looking for the emergency exit to the next car.
     We pulled in to Addison, and almost everyone got off.  Silently.  Not looking in her direction.
     I did see a man who may have been hugging her or holding her arms tight against her sides, I am not sure and I did not want to ask.  Or look closely.  I actually thought she might also get off and start pushing people off the platform.  Seriously, she seemed that angry.
     Suffice it to say, all of us intercoursers who have intercourse with mothers dogs were very happy to get off the train.  It seemed noone was breathing or talking and once we hit the platform, life went back to normal, with several nervous laughs.
     Drunk?  Doped up?  Just crazy?
     Who knows.......but it was unnerving, to say the least.
     And then I had to watch what may have been the worst Cub game of the year.
     Too bad it didn't rain.

an ode...

I feel poetic tonight

they say it may rain tomorrow
and wash out the Cards and the Cubs
and I shall be filled with sorrow
if there is no game on the morrow

the train I will take from Elburn
and not have to drive my car
a very big lesson I did learn
all that traffic is a grave concern

my wife thinks I am a schizo
and maybe I'm off my rocker
but I gotta go cheer my man Rizzo
whose bat is beginning to sizzle

gong to a game is always a lark
especially when it's at Wrigley
I just love sitting outside in the park
at the corner of Addison and Clark

I'll climb all the way to the top
where the view can be great
and have a beef, or a dog, and a pop
then I'll make a brief pit stop

but that may all come to no avail
if we get storms like they say we may
with wind, and rain and hail
the game I may be forced to bail

For now I need to sleep
and maybe dream  of the Cubs
where Riz, and KB and Biaz go deep
and no more will we fans have to weep


Geez.....that is tacky.

the only thing we have to fear......

I don't think I have ever grown up

     And I mean that in a negative way.
     Little kids are afraid of lots of things..... but hey eventually grow out of them.
     I have not.
     What am I afraid of?
     Here's a partial list.
Doctors
Dentists
Getting a tattoo
Heights
Crossing bridges
Flying
Driving fast
Psycho
Guns
Nuclear war
Plagues
Being left out
Missing out
Poisonous snakes
Alligators and crocodiles
Bears
Cancer
Stroke
Swimming in water deeper than 4 feet
Drunken drivers
Gangs
Burglars
Blood tests
Alzheimer's
Tornadoes
Lightning
Doing anything with electricity besides turning on lights and plugging stuff in
Elevators in really tall buildings
Ticks
     Quite a lengthy list, and that was just off the top of my head.
     I know, some of you are rolling your eyes and saying, "Sure.  wink wink."
     I freak out when standing by windows in tall buildings.  I once left a camping trip because there was a report of a bear in the area and every snap of a twig, or falling leaf, put me into a sweat.  I sedate myself before getting on a plane.  For years we never went west because it meant crossing the Mississippi.  I only drove to Mackinaw Island by going up the west side of the lake.  Once we went up the east side.  But I never cross the bridge.  I tried, but just could not do it.
     Most of these fears are totally irrational.....until a bridge collapses, or a guy gets eaten by a bear while camping, or a tornado destroys your house, or .... you get the picture.
     But I am 70 now.  Shouldn't I be able to put away these fears?  Overcome them?
     Geez, I wish I could.  I really do.
   
   
   

another mystery

I need a detective

     In addition to my two pizza cutter wheels, I am missing a bag of tea.
     No, not THAT kind of tea, but the tea you put in hot water and then after a few minutes drink and burn your lips and tongue.
     I had it two days ago.  It was there.  On the shelf.  Today?     Gone....poof....disappeared......out of sight.
     I have looked twice in the pantry.  No luck.
     I get really confused by all this.  Am I putting stuff in places and not remembering where?  Or misremembering where I put them in the first place?
     Or do we have mice that come in during the night and move stuff around while eating nicely sliced pieces of mouse pizza?
     Am I losing my mind?  Or my memory?
     Something else to worry about.
     Last night I had nightmares. 
     In the first nightmare, I was being chased by a man in a striped shirt who had a gun.
     When I woke up, I tried to get back to sleep and eventually did.
     But I had another dream about a man in black who had a gun and was chasing me.
     Up again at 3.
     Finally fell back asleep and damn it, another dream about somebody with a gun shooting at me!
     I have to stop reading the news.
     I seem to be falling back into my not a lot of sleep pattern.
     I don't like it.
     Maybe tonight I'll have a nice dream.

drat

Sometimes I just don't understand

     I had a really neat pizza cutter.  Not some cheap  $5 one, but a cutter from a big name knife company.
     It worked great.  It was a detachable wheel that clipped into a handle
     Unfortunately, I lost the handle.
     So I got another cutter from the same big name knife company.  Actually, I do believe Emily got it for us several years ago.
     Works great.  Now I have a working cutter and two wheels, just in case I need two.
     But two wheels don't necessarily make a bike, and the original wheel does not clamp into the newish  handle.
     About a month ago I went to get the really neat, very efficient, great feeling, maybe expensive cutter to slice a pizza and ...... no wheel.  None.  I had two, now I have none.
    What did I do with it/them?
     Is it/them in the wrong place?
     Did I toss it because I figured it would not work with the cutter, even though it did?
     Did I leave it in the sink and think it was a can lid and recycled it?
     I would not have left it in the box, because I have the handle.  The wheel disappeared sometime after I attempted to wash it.
     I think.
     If I toss out the unneeded handle, I will find the wheel.  So I won't toss it out for a few months, just to be sure.
     It just frustrates me that I do these things.
     And to be honest, it scares me a little also. 
    If I lose a pizza wheel cutter, how close am I to losing my car?  Or bike? Or what's left of my mind?
     Some things I should not think about too much.
     I just wish I could find the damn wheel.
     I have seen an adevertisement for a chair that lifts a person up if they fall on the floor.  It costs something like $4,500.  It allows one person to help get someone up who has fallen.
      Now that would have been even handier than the pizza wheel tonight.
     As they say, no blood, no foul.
     Thanks, John, for lending a hand.

thank you all....

I am on my way to being a millionaire

     Since I posted my dream of being the oldest first time millionaire, I have received thousands of donations!
     The postal worker has lugged bags of envelopes addressed to me and all have two quarters or five dimes enclosed.  There may even be more than two.  So many envelopes.  All very supportive.  People like me.
     I'll tell you what people don't like:  The other guy who isn't me. Not respected.  Going to stop talking to him.  A mean person.
     Anyway, since announcing my quest on Saturday I have received dozens of letters.  Some from big corporations.  Many corporations.  Some of the best corporations in the world have sent me envelopes.  It's amazing.
     Sears.  Pella.  A rescue mission in Rockford.  Many companies and organizations.  Did I mention it was amazing?
     I am now much too busy to write any more tonight.  I have to finish opening all that mail.  Better Homes and Gardens.  Capital One.  Comcast.  Amazing.
     Many of them have sent bills, not just quarters.  But bills.  Big ones.
     Amazing.
     I may have had some wine.  Amazing wine.  Great wine.  The best wine I have had today.  But my state of mind is great.  Amazing.
     Good night America.
   

dreams .....

I have set a new goal in life

     I have decided to be the oldest first time multi millionaire who has not won a lottery.
     Yes, my goal is to be a multi millionaire.
     How am I going to do that?
     I will set up a go fund me page and ask 200,000,000 people to each contribute 50 cents to my fund.
     This plan is a lot more practical than:  winning the lottery; selling the rights to my still being worked being on book for $100,000,000;  discovering oil in my back yard; learning that the painting my mother had is really a Picasso/Wyeth/VanGogh and really should be in a museum instead of in a box in my basement.
     Why is this my goal?
     I want to be rich.  Plain and simple.  I want money, moolah, cash, dinero, whatever you want to call it.
     Would people support my plan?
     Well, that Jenner person seems to be raking in the bucks in her effort to become a billionaire.  If she can do it, why not me?
     So what's in it for people who donate 50 cents?
     A warm feeling in their hearts that they may an old man's dream come true.
     Now, that is a priceless feeling...well worth 50 cents.
     I wonder how you set up a page........

snore......

Talk about tired......

     I had a zoo day today.  Usually I leave the house at 8:15.  But with the tollway construction, I have been late twice!
     So today I left at 8.....and got to the zoo at 9:30.  Go figure. 30 minutes early.  No rhyme or reason to the travel times.
     Missed my buddies Linda and Tyler today....but it was great to be back.
     Emily and John went to see Bare Naked Ladies for her birthday and she even got to meet the band!  That was cool.  I was responsible for letting the dogs out and feeding them, which seemed to go ok.
     But I also had a museum walk at 5:30.......9 people came in the heat!  I was home about 7:30, ate, then went and fed the dogs just as the rains and thunder moved in.  So I sat with the little guys for a while until my eyes started to shut.
     I am tired.  And now I realize it is almost 10:45 and I am still up. 
     But that will soon change.
     Tomorrow is a busy day too!  Hot dogs...a the museum....11-2.  Stop by and say hi!
     Peace and love to all.

Oh my.....

I think I have writer's block

     Seriously.  I can't think of anything funny or interesting about today.
     Except I got a shingles shot from the best pharmacist in the world.  She said my arm may hurt a little afterward.  She was right.
     But the new shingles shot gives me 87 percent protection....or something like that.  Jackie also got the shot, but her arm does not hurt.
     I guess that's life.
     So, early to bed, early to rise.....

crap in, crap out

Pardon me while I rant

     I was out and about today and came across a young couple and their maybe 3 year old in a stroller.
     The dad  was listening to rap music.  (Ok, dating myself.  Should I just say rap?  Do I have to add music??  Is it understood that rap is  a genre, so to speak, of music???  Why am I using so many question marks????)
     Every other word was a very clearly enunciated word that sounded a lot like luck, or duck , huck....but it wasn't.
     Now swearing doesn't bother me that much.  I have been known to cut loose with some socially unacceptable terms every once in a while.  (Or when taking down the dining room light fixture for dusting.  I have to do that soon.  I know I will at some point curse the Chinese who manufactured it and me for buying it.  I will also call it a ((add an adjective/verb of your choosing)) pain in the butt.  But I digress.)
     But here is this little kid who is hearing that word at least 20 times in a two minute span.  Remember how little kids repeat everything they say.  Will that be his response to these statements?
     "What a cute boy.  What is your name?"
      "Tony, I think that answer is wrong."
     "Sinners, you are going to Hell."
     My guess is it becomes his new favorite word.  After all, it's easy to say.
     The old guy in my wanted to tell the young man to turn off his crude  music and expose your child to Beethoven, Bach, Buffett or The Beatles.
     But I didn't. 
     I speak from experience. 
    And I think I am ready for bed.  Rant over. 
    Peace and love to all.

deja vu, again

I think I have said this before....several times

     The Tour de France is the most physical sports contest around.
     I recently did a bike tour where we rode close to 160 miles over 6 days.      Today, the Tour riders covered 196 kilometers.  My math is not always great, but that should be about 117 miles.  In one day. 
     And tomorrow, they do it again.
     And then again.
     It total, they ride about 2,100 miles. 
     We stopped for coffee and lunch on our ride.  The Tour riders eat and drink on the run.
     I don't want to think what they do for the bathroom.
     Yesterday, at one point, the announcers said the front riders were hitting 42 mph.  I thought maybe he meant kilometers per mile.  Lance Armstrong once won a Tour averaging 24 mph.  24.  Over 2,000 miles.  21 days.
     No wonder none of them have pot bellies.
     We saw some riders in the Netherlands that could have been a team.  They whizzed past us and were inches apart from each other, their wheels nearly touching.
     That's how it is in The Tour.  The peleton is tightly bunched and there is no room for error.  A wiggle the wrong way could lead to a major crash.
     If you have never watched a segment, I think you would be impressed by what they do.
     And throw in the beautiful scenery and you have the answer to why watching a Tour de France in person is on my bucket list.
    Stamina, strength, courage, fitness.....all have to be present in a Tour de France rider.
     It truly is a great sporting event.

bag less again

I sometimes get frustrated over minor things

     Litter.  Speeders.   People who block the bike path. 
     Losing a grocery bag.
     Especially losing a grocery bag.
     I have a bunch of really neat nylon type bags that fold or roll up and can fit in a pocket.  Well, unless you lose the carrying sack.
     I went into a store today to buy some things, which is why you usually go into a store.  Unless it is to use the bathroom.  But I digress.
     I had my Mickey Mouse tote bag with me.  I put it in the little shopping basket and picked up some items.  Not all the items I wanted, because this chain no longer stocks Dean's dairy products, much to my dismay.
     I went to check out and ..... no bag.
     I walked my route back through the store and ..... no bag.
     I walked out to my car and .... no bag.
     It really bums me out because it was a Mickey tote. 
     Maybe someone found it and turned it in..... but I am not hopeful.
     I carry the bags because I hate plastic bags.  I still end up with a bunch of them every month, but I try hard to not use plastic bags.
     I just hope it wasn't tossed out.  It was a neat bag. 
     I just don't understand how I keep losing things.
     Is this what growing old does?
     Guess I'll just go to bed.... if I can find that!

yes, I am serious

I suggested a road trip today

     I said why not take a drive up to Door County?  Or Traverse City in Michigan?
     Why, was the correct response.
     Fresh cherries!!  It's cherry season!!  One of the best reasons to live in the Midwest.
     My suggestion was met with a no.  Evidently driving 6 hours, spending the night in a hotel, boarding the dog, and buying cherries that will be consumed on the six hour drive home is a bad suggestion.
     Humph,
     I did not even bring up the idea of a drive to southern Illinois, Alto Pass, actually, just to buy peaches.  I figured that would be nixed also.
     So.....anyone who reads this....if you are going to Michigan or Wisconsin, I would like some cherries.
     If you are going to southern parts of Illinois, I would like some peaches.
     This is the beginning of my annual visiting farmers' markets and asking where the cherries and peaches come from. 
     Call me crazy, but they just taste better.
     At least I will be able to cash in on sweet corn....Brenda will be selling in about a week.  Can't wait.
     I might even buy a watermelon to complete the summer food fest.
    And maybe a glass of a nice, French rose..........but I know I can't go buy that!
    Summer....a season of tastes.
    And I don't want to miss a bite!

oops

I seem to have forgotten a few things

     When I went to Europe, I cleaned out my wallet, taking only two debit cards and one credit card.  The rest I put on a shelf.
     I remembered that today when I went to get gas and did not have my gas card.
     And when I stopped for coffee and did not have my rewards card or gift card.
     And last night when I did not have my rewards card at the store.
     I guess I need to find the cards and put them back into a wallet.
     Had a lovely day today, starting with leading a tour of the downtown area for a 95th birthday party.  The birthday girl did not feel up to it, but her family members came and listened to my walking history lesson.  I figure when you hit 95, you can do whatever you want when you want.
     At least the weather was nice.....my next walk is on Friday, and it is supposed to be in the upper 90s.  Hotter than heck, I guess.
     I just hope I don't melt, or have my feet sink into the oozing blacktop.
     And I actually slept until almost 8 a.m. today!  That is an improvement.
     Hope I can do it again.
     Peace and love to all you dudes and dudettes.

frustrated

I think I am close to losing it

     Little things bother me.
     We drink Dean's milk, but finding it locally is hard.  Walgreen's had some, and it is good for two weeks, which is unusual.  Usually their milk is close to expiring.
     The other W store only had its brand.....and I am not a big fan.
     People were on the bike path today and they were sitting in chairs watching a baseball game.  It's a bike path!  They had the whole path blocked.
     Some goof on a four wheeler drove through the neighbors' yards across the street today.  Right through the back yards.
     Japanese beetles are on my beans.
     Loud motorcycles keep going past the house.
     There are just lots of small irritations that grate on me. 
     I have not been sleeping well.....was up at 6 a.m. today.  I never get up that early!
     I think I am just tired and my body has not yet adjusted back to Illinois time.
     That's my story and I am sticking to it.
     But right now I feel like a grumpy old man.......

drained?

I may still be tired from Europe

     I forget things.   I repeat myself.  I seem to not remember stuff.
     Bought some beer.  Check out girl was not 21, so she called an older person over to run the beer over the scanner.  We talked about her birthday.  Parents are taking her to a Cub game in August.  Older clerk comes, scans the beer, I pay and  start to leave the store.  I walk about 15 feet and look at the cart and see the beer on the bottom rack.  I turn around and go back to the girl and say, "I think I forgot to pay for the beer."  She looked at me and said, "No, you are good."
     How did I not remember that?
     I must still be on Europe time, which means I would almost be getting up now instead of just going to bed.
     At least the sink is fixed.  And the toilet.  Under cabinet lighting is still not right.
     The toilet and lighting went south when I was abroad.  (If I say abroad as a broad, then it sounds like I was once a girl.  Or a broad.)
     Last night when I was doing dishes, the sink sprang a leak.
     Luckily it was just the spray hose connection getting loose, and it took a plumber about 15 seconds to diagnose and fix the problem.  Luckily he was here to fix the toilet.
     On vacation you don't worry about stuff like that.  It is someone else's problem  to fix.
     Thinking maybe we should move to a rental place, where all I have to do is call the super when there is a problem.  (If you give a pea to a super, does he become supper?)
     But heck, I probably would not be happy there either.
     I guess I will try to sleep..........perchance to dream.

   

Terry does Dulles

I had a long experience at Dulles airport

     I did not use the word bad or good.   I arrived in Dulles at about 2:45, plenty of time to catch my 5:01 flight to Chicago.
     I claimed my luggage, went through customs, rechecked my luggage and looked for the information board to confirm my flight left from gate C51, which is really close to the entrance.
     Well, a glance at the board showed my  flight was moved to gate C2, which is at the far end of the airport.  And it was delayed 25 minutes.
     I wandered down to C2, saw a store selling Starbucks, had a coffee....plenty of time still to catch my now 5:26 flight.  Settle back down at C2 .
     I figured I had about 3 hours to kill and maybe some crossword puzzles or a book would be a good way to while away the hours.
     I stopped at a newsstand type place.
     They didn't have crossword puzzle books.
     I walked a little more.  Found a second story at the entrance of D that sold pencils, but no puzzles.
     I returned to C2 only to be notified the gate was now D 23, which I had just walked half way to in search of a crossword book.
     I asked the lady at the counter how I got to D23.  She said just walk down the corridor.
     "It's a long walk,"  she said.  "A really long walk,"
     And she was right.  C2 was on one end, D23 on the other.  It was a nice walk.
     In hindsight, I should have bought the pencils when I found them.  Because the next three stores of that ilk either had crossword puzzle books or not, but none had pens.
     Plus my flight was delayed  to 7:30.  Then 7:54, which proved to be the final delay and about the time we actually took off.
     I figured by the time I went to bed I had been awake 23 hours.
     I was up at 6 this morning, and I have an idea that sleep will be difficult with the fireworks and thunder......I have never been in a war zone, but I imagine it must sound something like I am now hearing.
    Anyway, got home.  Safe.  Sound. 
    And that's the story I am sticking with.
     Now it's bedtime,  I think.

home again, home again

This was a long day

I got up at 7 a.m. Swiss time, which would be midnight in Rochelle.  Emily and John just dropped me off, which means I have been up 23 hours.
I am tired.
My 5 p.m. flight from Dulles in Washington was delayed to 6, then 6:30, and eventually 7:54.  I spent almost 6 hours in the DC airport.
But, I am home.  Safe, and sound.
And tired.
Good night.

all things must

Last days are always hard for me

      The last day of school, the last day of summer.  The last day the Christmas tree is up inside.
     And the last day of my time in Switzerland.  Technically, tomorrow is the "last day" but my flight is in the morning, so it is not  really a day at all.
     This has been an amazing vacation for me, and it was all due to a lot of people.
     Bob and Diane for biking with me.  Sheri for being with Jackie and mowing the yard in 95 degree temps.  Lanette for being there when Sheri could not.  For Emily and John, who checked on Jackie, did shopping, helped when needed and even mowed and trimmed.  For MK for visiting Jackie and putting up with a barking dog.  For all the people who called, gave her a ride, or in some other way I don't know about kept my wife safe and happy for three weeks.
     And for Julia, who puts up with her dad's endless questions, most already answered.  And who brought me into her circle of friends, making me feel like a family member to so many.
     And most importantly, Jackie, for letting me go.  I know it is not easy for her.  She did not ask for MS, she does not want MS, and she doesn't want to sit at home while I frolic around Europe.  I am grateful for her letting me go and not complaining too much about the constant stream of bills coming to our credit card account.
     I tend to get emotional, and I am sure there will be a couple of tears at some point.  At age 70, I think I am entitled to venting my emotions from time to time.
     How am I spending the last day?
     Shopping.  Packing.  Cleaning.  A visit from Kevin and Christina.  And sitting on the covered terrace enjoying the view, hopefully not for the last time.  But, who knows?
     And thank you for reading my blog.  I love the fact that you think my life is interesting enough to read about, even on days when I write about nothing.
     That's about it for me.
     Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find a tissue.

climb every hilltop

I had a great day today!!

     I got to sled (slide?) down a mountain side.
     And I got to eat a great lunch.
     And I waded with the cows. (Ankle deep, for 5 seconds,  but I am counting it!)
    And I had fun with my daughter, family, and friends.
     And I rode a gondola.
     And I got to see lots of mountains!
    A bunch of us, including Julia, my nephew and his family, and some of Julia's friends (Matt, Selin, Stuart) went to Kandersteg today, and hiked to the Oeschiniensee. a small but beautiful lake.   Well, some of us hiked.  There was also an electric bus, but that's another story.
     We went to a restaurant where Julia made reservations for 10 people at 1 p.m.  There are two restaurants.  We went to the upper one and asked about reservations.  The lady said she would check and came out and said yes, we had reservations under Dickow and to sit at this big table.
     After about 15 minutes, we discovered we were at the wrong restaurant.  Julia and 6 other people were sitting at the other restaurant, waiting for us.   But, no big deal.
     We walked down to the lake after lunch and were greeted by cows.  Cows.  Right there on the beach. It was pretty cool.  They did not seem to notice us.
     This is all up high, so I rode up in a gondola......but I could have walked it in an estimated 1 hour 15 minutes, or in my time, two days and 4 electric shocks to restart my heart.
     But the big adventure, for me, was to ride the sled down the mountain.
     I went twice.  The first time, I was heavy on the brake and when I pushed down to go fast, the little sled did not respond.  The second time I went much faster.
     I would have gone again, but sitting on the sled made my hips hurt a lot.
     I also posted a video of the new opening scene for The Sound of Music on Facebook.  I think it is quite good.
     Now for some pictures.
     Maybe the snow will cool you down, mentally at least.

From the gondola

He'll be coming down the mountain....

when he comes.....

rounding the last bend

We stopped to look at this beautiful scene on our drive to Kandersteg.

Going up in the gondola

What do you see in these rocks???

On the walk to the lake

At the lake....waterfalls on the far end

It's a cow!

Beach area...watch your step!

The lake

Grazing on the beach